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Roman Wilson never found steady footing under Mike Tomlin, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are giving him another runway under Mike McCarthy. Considering how quickly he disappeared from the lineup late last season, this opportunity feels more like the last chance to prove himself than a fresh start.
Wilson, the No. 84 pick in the 2024 draft, has played 14 career games with four starts and 257 offensive snaps. His receiving line is 12 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns; all produced in 2025 after injuries limited his rookie season to one game and four snaps.
Injuries and that slow start were frustrating for a team constantly searching for wide receiver depth. Wilson was drafted to help solve the problem, but Pittsburgh kept chasing veteran answers while he bounced between the lineup, injured reserve and Tomlin’s doghouse.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo wrote that Wilson’s connection with Aaron Rodgers “was inconsistent,” and the situation deteriorated late in the season. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen, both late additions, passed him on the depth chart, while Wilson finished as a healthy scratch in four of the final five games.
Getting jumped by receivers who barely had time to locate the good coffee machine isn’t ideal. It explains why Wilson enters 2026 with more on the line than most players on the roster.
McCarthy gives him a clean slate and a scheme that should create more work -- provided he makes the most of it. DeFabo noted that Pittsburgh’s use of 11 personnel “will skyrocket,” potentially making the third receiver a functional starter rather than an occasional accessory.
Wilson has spent the offseason sharpening his route running, and the opportunity is ripe for the taking. McCarthy doesn’t owe him snaps, but he also doesn’t inherit whatever frustration built under Tomlin.
For a former third-round pick entering Year 3, this is the fresh chance Wilson needed and probably the last one he’ll get in Pittsburgh. He’ll enter camp needing to prove his late-season disappearance won’t carry into 2026.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers WR gets one last shot in Mike McCarthy’s offense
